This new resource covers the material selection, structural design and connections detailing of truly sustainable timber buildings through:

• consideration of the nature of wood and the heritage of timber construction, including the importance of forestry and conservation

• a review of modern techniques to improve the durability, fire resistance and predictability of structural timber elements and their vital connections

• analysis of the many architectural and structural options, from roundwood shells through glulam arches and gridshells to long span hybrid structures

• case studies from around the world illustrating the principles discussed and the true potential of timber construction

Historically there has been an imbalance between the availability of information on structural timber design and the much more widespread familiarity with traditional structural materials such as steel and concrete. This book aims to help redress the balance by presenting the essential design principles involved in the creation of elegant, user-friendly timber buildings that are practical, economic, and thoroughly sustainable.

Designed to support specialist study into the benefits of 21st Century timber engineering, this book also offers architects, engineers and other construction professionals practical advice on all aspects of modern timber architecture.